Business/In Brief • Dec. 6, 2014

HONOLULU – The maker of Truvia Natural Sweetener will pay $6.1 million to settle a class-action lawsuit initiated by a Hawaii woman.

Kailua-Kona resident Denise Howerton was the first to sue Cargill, which manufactures the product sold nationwide. Her lawsuit filed last year said the company made misleading statements about Truvia being a natural sweetener.

According to the lawsuit, Truvia is marketed as a natural sugar substitute primarily made from the stevia plant. But the plant makes up only 1 percent of Truvia, the suit said.

Howerton and the four others in Florida, Minnesota and California who filed similar lawsuits will receive $2,000 each from the settlement. Howerton’s attorney Lawrence Cohn said Friday the remainder will go to attorneys’ fees and to those who bought the product between July 2008 and July 2014.

The settlement approved by a federal judge in Honolulu in November says attorneys will receive $1.8 million. Class members can receive a $45 cash refund or a $90 voucher for another Truvia product.